Ever heard of Zorbing? I hadn’t before I landed in Ireland for the sixth’ish time this past November. I was on a trip to Dublin and then afterwards West Ireland for a surfing meets entrepreneur trip and zorbing was part of the activities.
When I first heard what it involved, as adventurous as I am (and I’m game to try most things), I thought – say what? You’re kidding right? Zorbing is essentially the sport of rolling downhill inside an orb, generally made of transparent hard plastic.
You climb inside the large plastic zorb and strap yourself in — two people per zorb, strapped in on opposite sides of the circular plastic zorb.
Once you’re ready to go, you simply give your zorbing team the thumbs up, that you’re set and ready to go.
The first zorbing site was established in Rotorua, New Zealand, by David and Andrew Akers but has since, expanded to other parts of the world. Zorbing is generally performed on a gentle slope, but can also be done on a level surface in pubs and clubs around the UK, allowing for more rider control.
In the absence of hills some operators have constructed inflatable, wooden or metal ramps. There are two types of orbs, harnessed and non-harnessed. Non-harness orbs carry up to three riders, while the harness orbs are constructed for one to two riders which is what we did. We did a run down a hill, rather than on a flat level surface and it was a mid-sized run, although longer runs can run approximately half a mile.
See below to get an idea of the incredible fun we had……
First photo credit from the main Zorb.com website, next 6 photo credits are thanks thanks to Jenni Alasuutari from Finland, who is also shown in the photos with me. Last four photo credits Renee Blodgett.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
